1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for measuring a molecular composition, and relates more specifically to a method and apparatus for measuring a molecular composition in which a fluid containing at least two varieties of protein molecules is irradiated with a laser light beam, and scattered light is received from the protein molecules to measure their composition from a scattered light signal thereof.
2. Background Art
Aqueous humor flows in the anterior chamber disposed between the cornea and the crystalline lens of the eyeball. The albumin and other proteins in the aqueous humor are at a very low concentration in a normal eye due to the operation of the anterior chamber barrier. The aqueous humor also lacks blood cells.
However, it is known that when the function of the blood-aqueous barrier is reduced after intraocular lens insertion operations for cataracts or uveitis, white blood cells or red blood cells are discharged into the aqueous humor, the number of albumin molecules drastically increases, or globulin or the like that is a protein molecule larger than albumin is discharged.
Quantitatively measuring the number density of blood cells and the concentration of protein molecules is thus important for performing a follow-up diagnosis after surgery.
A method for calculating the protein concentration of the aqueous humor by irradiating the protein molecules suspended in the aqueous humor of the eyeball with laser light, and measuring the intensity of light scattered from the protein molecules is proposed as a method for quantitatively measuring the concentration of the protein molecules in the following Patent Document 1, for example.
The conventional technique described in Patent Document 1 concerns a measuring technique referred to as a laser flare-cell measuring technique using a single-wavelength laser, which provides information relating to the composition of proteins and various biomolecules contained in the aqueous humor inside of the anterior chamber of a human eye without contact and in a noninvasive manner.